The best Burns Night whisky tastings across the UK

Celebrate Burns Night properly with these whisky tastings taking place across the UK.

Burns Night is our chance to celebrate Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland, with food, drink, Scottish dancing, poetry recitals, and of course, whisky.

On 25 January, which falls (very fortunately) on a Friday this year, make sure to consume plenty of haggis, neeps (mashed turnips) tatties (potatoes), Tipsy Laird (whisky trifle), and plenty of your favourite Scotch whisky.

Not sure where to start? Head to one of the many whisky tastings taking place across the UK, from London to Edinburgh, Glasgow to Bristol, for a taste of the best whisky Scotland has to offer.

London

image: instagram.com/rotundalondon

Londoners looking for a taste of Scotland this Burns Night should head to the Rotunda bar for a Scotch whisky tasting with traditional Scottish snacks. Find your favourite Scotch by trying a selection of whisky, including blended and single malts, in a tasting led by a Glenlivet ambassador, who will also perform an address to the Haggis, in true Burns Night fashion. Tickets are £29.50 per person.

Or, join the Rhythm and Booze duo in Bermondsey for a night of whisky, music and poetry. Expect an open whisky bar, vegetarian haggis canapés and live music making  – it is sure to be a fun-filled Burns Night celebration. Did we mention the open whisky bar? Tickets are £50 per person.

Edinburgh

image: instagram.com/smws_uk

Whisky fans lucky enough to be spending Burns Night in Edinburgh will love The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s whisky tasting event. Aside from delicious Scotch, expect a four course dinner, traditional Scottish piping, dancing and poetry – everything a great Burns Night is made of – and where better to celebrate the national poet of Scotland than the Scottish capital? Tickets are £69 per person.

Or, head to the Whiski Rooms for a Burns Night Supper with traditional haggis, neeps and tatties, and of course, whisky! The Whiski Rooms are also hosting whisky tastings daily, so celebrate in the run up to Burns Night. Tickets for the dinner are £39 per person.

Birmingham

image: instagram.com/whiskybrum

Birmingham’s The Whisky Club is hosting a Whisky & Words Burns Night Special. Enjoy open mic poetry and spoken word while sipping on your favourite Scotch Whisky. What better way to honour Robert Burns than with poetry and plenty of whisky? Plus, it’s free entry.

Or, head a little way out of the city to Bar Sport Cannock for their annual Burns Night Whisky Tasting Evening. There will be five Scottish malts, Haggis, neeps & tatties, a Scottish piper and a Scottish singer. It’s free entry with a free wee dram, and £20 for the whisky tasting.

Bristol

image: hotel du vin

Burns Night in Bristol should be spent in style at the beautiful Hotel du Vin. Enjoy a Scotch whisky cocktail on arrival, then indulge in a Scottish three course dinner with wine, followed by an after dinner whisky. Tickets are £70 per person.

Or, head to Loch Fyne for a three course dinner including Haggis, neeps and tatties in a whisky sauce, with a vegetarian option available too. Whisky fans won’t go without, as the restaurant offers an option to add three drams to have with your meal. Prices are £26.95 per person, and add three drams of whisky for just £9 more.

Liverpool

To celebrate Burns Night in Liverpool, (a couple of days early) head to The Fly in The Loaf pub where the Whisky Lounge will be hosting a Burns tasting night of six whiskies, led by a whisky expert. There’ll also be Haggis, neeps and tatties, to ensure your Burns Night celebration is as authentic as can be. Tickets are £30 per person

Glasgow

image: instagram.com/theglasgowmal

For a Glaswegian Burns Night, head to the Malmaison, where David Ferguson from Douglas Laing will be hosting a Scottish themed three course dinner and an interactive whisky masterclass. Learn all about the Douglas Laing whiskies, including the favourite, ‘Timorous Beastie,’ the name of which comes from the famous Burns poem, ‘To a Mouse.’ Tickets are £35 per person.

Or, head to the Panopticon for an evening of comedy, music, and plenty of whisky. There will be a whisky tasting and poetry readings, for £8 per person with a free dram included on entry, or a haggis dinner and show is £18 per person.

A Burns Night in?

Fancy toasting a glass to Burns from the comfort of your home? Or hosting a Burns Night party yourself? Impress your guests and treat yourself to these whiskies…

Laphroaig Lore, 70cl / 48% / £63.95

Aged in a combination of quarter casks, this whisky from Islay is ‘rich and classically peaty with a spicy chilli bite and a long, sweet aftertaste,’ and is the winner of Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible’s No Age Statement Scotch Whisky 2019. 

Glen Marnoch Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70cl / 40% / £17.49

The Gold winner of the Spirits Business Scotch Whisky Masters in the Islay single malts category, this whisky is affordable without compromising on quality. Its origin distillery is a mystery, but one thing that’s for certain is just how good it is.

The Tweeddale Grain of Truth 70cl / 46% / £50

The Tweeddale has just added a new single grain whisky: The Grain of Truth. Described as a ‘rich and complex single grain whisky, based on traditional Victorian craftsmanship with innovative maturation techniques,’ the Grain of Truth ‘possesses an uncommon composition of 50% wheat and 50% malted barley.’

Timorous Beastie, 70cl, 46.8% / £40

For a whisky inspired by Burns himself, it has to be Timorous Beastie. The name is taken from Burns’ famous Scots poem ‘To a Mouse,’ and this whisky is described as, ‘non coloured, non-chill-filtered Small Batch bottling,’ Timorous Beastie is ‘a marriage of appropriately aged and selected Highland Malts – including, amongst others, those distilled at Glen Garioch, Dalmore and Glengoyne distilleries.’